Daily Headlines for January 9, 2012
Education Roundup: Teachers Unions, States Clash Over Evaluation Systems
US News & World Report Blog, January 6, 2012
The new year has started off much the same way 2011 ended—with some vicious battles between teachers’ unions and state governments.
Escaping the Constraints of ‘No Child Left Behind’
Washington Post, DC, January 7, 2012
Ten years ago today, President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act. The law has improved American education in some ways, but it also still has flaws that need to be fixed.
The Legacy of No Child Left Behind
National Journal, January 8, 2012
No Child Left Behind–the landmark, standards-setting elementary and secondary education law–is 10 years old this week. Born of unlikely alliances between conservatives like President George W. Bush and liberals like the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., No Child Left Behind changed the country’s education landscape.
Updated Teacher Observations Key To Improvement, Report Says
Los Angeles Times, CA, January 7, 2012
A Gates Foundation study lauds a new system in which instructors are watched in the classroom up to six times annually by certified evaluators.
Meander to the Top
Chicago Tribune, IL, January 8, 2012
We have been big supporters of Race to the Top because it was supposed to tightly tie federal money to school innovation. The money’s going out, but the innovation isn’t being delivered.
One-Size-Fits-All Evaluation Systems Disastrous For Educational Reform
Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, PA, January 8, 2012
PRESIDENT Barack Obama’s “Race to the Top” initiative motivated states to develop teacher evaluation systems based on how well students perform on standardized tests. One dozen states were funded in the first two rounds of the competition.
A Good Teacher’s Lessons Last A Lifetime
New York Daily News, NY, January 8, 2012
A sweeping and unprecedented study that tracked millions of students across two decades proves just how valuable a good teacher is — not just in the short term, but for a student’s entire life.
Charter Schools Not As ‘Super’ As Many Think
Eastern Echo, MI, January 8, 2012
Unfortunately, there are a variety of problems plaguing charter schools. Even the MEA, which seems to generally support the use of charter schools, points out it is exceedingly difficult to hold charter schools accountable to any collective standard.
STATE COVERAGE
ALABAMA
New AEA Chief Plans Fight on Charter Schools
Decatur Daily, AL, January 8, 2012
Athens native Henry Mabry followed a legend in Alabama politics when he became executive director of the Alabama Education Association on Jan. 1.
ARIZONA
Will More School Choice Improve Arizona Education?
East Valley Tribune, AZ, January 6, 2012
Arizona law allows K-12 students to enroll in any public school in the district where they live, schools in other districts, or in charter schools.
CALIFORNIA
Data Can Bedevil Charter Schools
Sacramento Bee, CA, January 8, 2012
Last month, the California Charter Schools Association announced an initiative that would have tragic ramifications for some public charter schools. Under this proposal, any charter school failing to meet the association’s arbitrary standards would not be permitted to renew its charter. After close examination, though, the educational community may want to rethink CCSA’s assessment and its effort to limit parental choice under the guise of accountability.
COLORADO
Paving the Path to Success: Charter School Sets Precedent for District 6 with Career Pathways
Greeley Tribune, CO, January 7, 2012
All University students must choose one of five different tracks: liberal arts; arts and humanities; business; engineering, science and math; or health and medical, all of which encompass multiple career choices. All pathways have specific, individualized requirements.
DELAWARE
Hearing Addresses Teacher Ratings
Delaware Journal, DE, January 8, 2012
The complexities of creating a grading system for Delaware’s 8,000 teachers have caught the eye of some legislators who have been getting an earful lately about the process from educators.
FLORIDA
Lakeland High as Charter School : Keep All Students in Mind
The Ledger, FL, January 8, 2012
Lakeland Senior High School is gathering information and holding discussions to decide whether to convert from its standard public school format into a charter school.
GEORGIA
State Mandates on School Funds Aren’t Working
Ledger Enquirer, GA, January 9, 2012
Rarely do we hear political leaders admit to being wrong about anything, much less something they actively advocated. So rare, in fact, are such admissions that they’re almost always worth listening to.
Reform on Legislators’ Minds
Marietta Daily Journal, GA, January 8, 2012
Prior to the Georgia’s Supreme Court’s May decision, the Georgia Charter Commission Act allowed full funding to follow the student to a charter school. But the high court in May ruled that the state doesn’t have the authority to create charter schools. Therefore lawmakers plan to bring forth a constitutional amendment to overturn that court decision.
Georgia Legislature: More School Choice
Savannah Morning News, GA, January 8, 2012
WHEN GEORGIANS buy a car, or even a television, they aren’t restricted to purchasing those items in a specific area. Instead, they shop around to find the right product at the best price. The same principle should apply when parents are searching for something that’s far more precious: A public education for their children.
Charter Schools Hold Lessons For Traditional Classrooms
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution , GA, January 6, 2012
Longer school days. More time for teacher training. Strong parental involvement.
These are the fundamentals of Atlanta’s successful charter schools, and according to new test results, they are paying off.
ILLINOIS
Chicago Schools To Begin Longer Days Monday
Chicago Tribune, IL, January 9, 2012
Chicago schools that voted for a longer day starting in January will add that extra 90 minutes daily when students return to classes Monday.
INDIANA
School Vouchers Subsidies Should Truly Follow The Child
Northwest Times, IN, January 8, 2012
Your editorial acknowledging the early success of the Indiana school voucher program makes an excellent point that ought to be emphasized around the country as parental choice continues to spread.
IOWA
School Reform Fails to Fix Weaknesses
Des Moines Register, IA, January 6, 2012
It is evident that he gleefully accepts the solutions of Jason Glass, director of the Iowa Department of Education, and the educational forum he held last summer. Unfortunately, Glass does not address the substantial and broad-based problems in education. Unless Iowa works on the genuine weaknesses of our system, poor school performance will only perpetuate.
MASSACHUSETTS
Public Education Done Well
Cape Cod Times, MA, January 9, 2012
Imagine a school in which all children excel, regardless of their background. Imagine a school that treats all children as gifted and builds on their strengths through enrichment strategies, independent research and problem solving. Imagine a school where ideas count. Let your imagination go as far as it can, and you have discovered the accelerated school.
Change Sought In Gauging Teachers
Boston Globe, MA, January 9, 2012
A state ballot initiative that would make the performance of teachers – rather than years of service – the top consideration in whether they keep their jobs is gaining some momentum, even as it faces strong opposition from teachers unions, state education leaders, and other educators.
MICHIGAN
The Number of Charter Schools in Michigan Expected to Increase Slowly (Though Mainly in 2013)
Michigan Public Radio, MI, January 7, 2012
A spokesman for Michigan’s charter schools does not expect a new law that took effect this month will translate into a surge in the number of charter schools in the state.
Charter Schools Have Potential To Exploit Our Kids
Lansing State Journal, MI, January 7, 2012
Take a look at Florida, which is a step or two beyond Michigan in turning a public good into a private commodity. Down there, unleashing free market forces on schools has not been the panacea advertised.
MISSOURI
Legislature Should Start The Clock On Giving Urban Schoolchildren Hope
St. Louis Post- Dispatch, MO, January 7, 2012
Schoolchildren are not bargaining chips. But that is precisely what the thousands of school-age children in unaccredited school districts in St. Louis and Kansas City have become.
Schools Face Political, Funding Battles
Columbia Tribune, MO, January 7, 2012
Teachers must be ready to fight or they will lose the debate over education issues ranging from spending to student achievement, Missouri National Education Association lobbyist Otto Fajen said at a legislative dinner this week.
NEW JERSEY
In the Suburbs, Charter Schools Raise Concerns About Local Control
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, January 9, 2012
When a charter school opens in a gritty urban neighborhood, few parents and officials argue that kids in the district don’t need an alternative to the local public schools. In a leafy New Jersey suburb — which may be home to some of the best schools in the country — charters can spark off a battle between skeptics and believers.
Pilot for Privatized Schools Includes Trenton
The Trenton Times, NJ, January 7, 2012
Private companies would be allowed to build and manage up to a dozen public schools in Trenton, Newark and Camden under a pilot program that is expected to go before state legislators for votes on Monday.
Christie Pledges School Aid Battle
Wall Street Journal, January 9, 2012
Gov. Chris Christie plans a new challenge to a court-ordered state education funding formula that has provided billions of dollars in extra funding to poverty-stricken schools within the so-called Abbott districts.
NEW YORK
Rejected 3 Times, School May Still Open Soon, and With a Grant, Too
New York Times, NY, January 9, 2012
In the last couple of years, Sharon Akman, a real estate agent, applied to the state of New Jersey three times to open a new charter school in the Highland Park area, to be called Tikun Olam Hebrew Language Charter High School.
Do Right By The Kids: Demand Quality Teachers
New York Post, NY, January 9, 2012
I applaud Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott for telling it like it is: The problem with education in this city is the teachers and the unions (“Race to the Bottom,” Post Opinion, Jan. 3).
OHIO
Open Enrollment Allows Students To Cross School District Boundaries — In Some Cases
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, January 8, 2012
Statewide, almost four out of five districts offer some form of open enrollment. But nobody in state government has studied its financial or educational impact since the early 1990s. That’s a problem that State Sen. Tom Sawyer, a Democrat from Akron , aims to address with Senate Bill 220, now in the education committee.
Most Local Charter Schools Focus On A Niche
Columbus Dispatch, OH, January 8, 2012
There are charter schools that serve immigrant students. Children with autism. Students interested in art or science or martial arts.
Pilot Programs For Evaluating Ohio Teachers, If Done Well, Could Yield Great Benefits: Editorial
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, January 7, 2012
In contrast with the fireworks and ultimate failure of public employee reforms drawn up in Statehouse backrooms, Ohio education officials are tackling another politically sensitive issue — teacher evaluations — with restraint and transparency, in consultation with school districts and teachers.
Charter School with Troubled Past Wants to Open in Norton
Akron Beacon Journal, OH, January 8, 2012
A charter school is trying to open in Norton and compete with Norton City Schools for its students and state money, even though the district is rated excellent and generally should be off-limits to charter schools opening within its borders.
OKLAHOMA
Three New Charter Schools to Get Millions in Oklahoma Funds
Tulsa World, OK, January 7, 2012
Twenty-one percent of $39.2 million in midyear state funding increases for Oklahoma school districts will go to three new charter schools, according to figures released Friday by the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
PENNSYLVANIA
An Alternate Way to School Choice
Wall Street Journal, January 9, 2012
Your editorial “Republicans for Monopoly” (Dec. 31) lamenting Pennsylvania’s school-choice deadlock misses the real story: The Pennsylvania House passed a massive expansion of the state’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit program—already the largest private choice program in terms of the number of students—by 190 votes to seven.
SOUTH DAKOTA
A Shift in School Choice
Argus Leader, SD, January 8, 2012
Private religious schools in South Dakota still are feeling the effects of the economic recession as more families continue to choose free public schools.
TENNESSEE
Future in Limbo for 17 Charter Schools
Commercial Appeal, TN, January 9, 2012
A month and a half after the unified school board denied a raft of charter school applications, start-up leaders are no closer to knowing whether they will be allowed to run schools next fall.
Michelle Rhee: Education Reform Gaining Momentum in Tennessee
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, January 8, 2012
As a public school parent, I’m keeping an especially close eye on the efforts being made here to transform our education system. And, as a parent and someone who thinks about education policy daily for a living, I am so encouraged by the steps taken so far.
TEXAS
Serve Austin Residents with Careful Consideration of Charters
Austin American-Statesman, TX, January 9, 2012
As we enter a new year and a new school semester, it’s a perfect time to assess what we should have learned as a community and a school board from the recent IDEA charter school decision-making process.
WASHINGTON
Lawmakers Focused On Education Want To Talk About Money — And Policy
Seattle Times, WA, January 8, 2012
While money is expected to be the top issue this year with lawmakers, who reconvene Monday in Olympia , those focused on education are just as happy to talk about policy ideas, including some that may address court concerns about education dollars.
WISCONSIN
Madison Prep Founders Won’t Say Much About Private Financing Plan
Capital Times, WI, January 8, 2012
Looks like the public won’t be finding out much anytime soon about the dollars and cents of the Urban League of Greater Madison’s promise to open the doors of Madison Preparatory Academy this fall with private funding.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
PACT Charter to Offer Online Classes
ABC Newspaper, January 7, 2012
While the start of the 2012-2013 school year is still months away, PACT Charter School is already getting started. The Ramsey school is looking for students for its new hybrid online program for students in grades seven through 12.
Success of Florida Virtual School is Difficult to Measure
Tampa Bay Times, FL, January 8, 2012
The fastest growing public school district in Florida doesn’t have football, school lunches or busing. It doesn’t get a grade from the state, and it operates free of the rules and scrutiny that dog most public schools.
New Charter School Offers Online Instruction, Local Site
Chico Enterprise-Record, CA, January 8, 2012
A new charter school is open in Butte County, offering full-time, online instruction for students in grades 6-12, and a new elective program sponsored through the Civil Air Patrol.